Obama seeks to dedicate more offshore royalties to parks

WASHINGTON (AP) — In his final budget recommendation, President Barack Obama will seek to boost spending for a program that lets local governments and the feds buy more land for parks and recreation.

Congress allowed up to $450 million this year for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The fund draws from offshore oil and gas royalties, but Congress almost always diverts much of the money collected to other uses.

The Interior Department says the president will recommend allocating all of the $900 million collected each year to the conservation fund. He also wants to reauthorize the program permanently.

But the president's proposal will face opposition from many Republicans in Congress who have long argued that the federal government struggles to adequately maintain the land it already owns.